Web 2.0 sufferers can now plug their Facebook and Windows Live accounts directly into Microsoft’s Outlook Social Connector tentacle, which the software giant first announced in November last year.

“You can view your social network as you look through your e-mail to stay connected with your friends, family and colleagues,” said Microsoft in a blog post today.

The idea behind the tool is for Microsoft to entice users to spend more time on their online and email client estate, rather than seeing customers wander over to Facebook to feed their stalking fix.

Microsoft, however, prefers to think of the feature as being useful for those customers whose lives are simply too hectic to involve any direct Facebook time.

“The Outlook Social Connector doesn't add another social network into the mix; rather it offers busy people the convenience of accessing them in Outlook.”

It’s been made available as a download not just for Office 2010 customers - which the feature was originally built for - but also for 2003 and 2007 editions of Microsoft’s Outlook email client.

In February this year the company inked deals with LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook, allowing the Web 2.0 outfits to embed their tech in the OSC. Neither Twitter nor indeed Google’s privacy-lite Buzz (perish the thought) were included in that agreement.

MySpace was the first to spill its guts on Outlook 2010 in March when the email client was still in beta. ®